OT--A Suggestion About Printers

[w7aqk]

Hi All,

I don't know how many of you share my frustration about
printing needs, but I find it to be a fairly expensive
process.  I've been using an HP printer that is wireless for
about 3 years, and it does a very nice job.  However, it is
a constant battle as those printer cartridges don't seem to
last all that long.  I try to keep things like my K3 manual,
and accessories, updated in a notebook, along with all the
firmware updates, etc.  Often something you print off has
some color in it, and the color cartridges seem to go really
fast!  Replacements are very expensive for just about all
makes and models, even at my favorite supplier--Costco!  I
think printers have become like safety razors--cheap to buy
on the front end, but very expensive to keep properly
supplied.

As I indicated above, a lot of what comes off the internet
has color in it, but printing it in black and white would
not be a very significant loss in most cases.  I know you
can set your printer to do just black and white--at least
most of them--but that does tend to be something of a pain
in the neck when you are just trying to quickly print off a
couple of pages, etc.  You can also set the resolution
lower, to save ink, but how many of us take the time to do
it?  Then there is the constant (or seemingly so) prompting
you get that one cartridge or another is running low.  Some
printers has 4 or 5 different color cartridges, and they
never really seem to deplete at the same rate.

A while back I started investigating laser printers, and
found that one model (wireless) by Brother was very highly
rated.  This is the model HL-5370DW.  Consumer Reports gave
it a very favorable review, as did a couple of computer
magazines.  It's black and white only, but I don't think I
care about color, and I can always use my HP for that.  Best
of all, the cost per copy was estimated at just over one
cent per copy, versus 5 or 6 cents per copy on most ink jet
models.  On my HP, I pay about $90 for a combo cartridge
package that will maybe get me between 500 and 1000
copies--if I'm lucky!  That may seem like a lot of copies,
but if you have kids, it isn't!!!!!  Besides, I think those
"estimates" are very optimistic.  A high capacity cartridge
for the Brother laser model, costs about $80 (on Amazon),
and will supposedly deliver 8,000 copies!  I take that
estimate with a grain of salt as well, but clearly that is
miles cheaper than for an inkjet printer.  There are
"aftermarket" suppliers that are even a lot cheaper, but I
don't know whether those are of sufficient quality or not.
Eventually you have to replace the drum on a laser printer,
but those are supposedly good for at least 25,000 copies, so
I don't expect to have to worry about that for a long time.

Anyway, I looked into prices for the HL-5370DW, and the best
price I could find for it was about $220 (it "lists" for
about $250).  Not bad, but I deferred.  This past weekend,
Office Depot advertised it for $180!  I couldn't find an
internet price anywhere close to that.  Since the printer is
wireless capable, I decided it would be a good bet at that
price, so I picked one up.  I like it!  The setup process to
get it "hooked" into my WiFi system was somewhat more
convaluted than with my HP, but it now works fine, and I
have everyone's computer directed to it.  I may be kidding
myself, but I think I'm saving money already!

Another big benefit was speed.  My HP is supposedly pretty
high end, but still it seems to go at a snail's pace--even
on much of the straight black and white stuff.  I just
printed out Jim Brown's (K9YC) treatise on RFI (61 pages) in
less than 2 minutes!  If I had done that on my HP I would
still be waiting.  Also, I did it "duplex", so only 31
pieces of paper, and it will go nicely into a soft binder
for future reference.  Unfortunately, this is a topic I need
to refer to frequently here because of an issue that has
arisen, and going back and forth to my computer was getting
to be a pain.  I also like to print off pertinent topics in
the new ARRL Handbook instead of lugging that 5 pound
monster around all the time.  Also, there is so much great
info on the internet, and sometimes you really need "hard
copy" to comfortably read it.

Anyway, FWIW, I think this is a much better way to go if you
do much printing at all.  You can always supplement with a
much cheaper inkjet printer for those times when you have to
have color, and even the cheaper inkjets these days are
pretty darn good on color.  Many of the cheaper ones also
function as copiers, scanners, and fax machines too--they
are just SLOW!  I just think that perhaps as much as 95% of
most printing needs don't really need color, and I firmly
believe HP and Canon and other manufacturers have been
milking us dry selling us color capable printers.  It might
take me a year or two to recoup my investment, but in the
meantime I can at least enjoy the incredibly faster speed
from the laser printer.

Hopefully, some of you will think this post has been
worthwhile.

Dave W7AQK



______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Jeff kb2m]

 I wish all my radio manufactures that frequently update their manuals, send
out change pages, in addition to full copies. This would save a lot of
trees. I know you could just print out the change pages, but then you would
have a problem indexing inserts of 2 pages or more. There are obvious ways
around this indexing problem, that are acceptable as long as it is presented
correctly in the index.

73 Jeff kb2m


______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Bob Maser]

When you print, when the print screen comes up and before you hit the OK to
Print key, click preferences, set the quality level to "Fast Draft" and then
go to the Color tab and click on grayscale.  Your printer will print faster
and use much less ink.  Try it.

Bob W6TR
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Yarnes" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 8:34 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] OT--A Suggestion About Printers

> Hi All,
>
> I don't know how many of you share my frustration about
> printing needs, but I find it to be a fairly expensive
> process.  I've been using an HP printer that is wireless for
> about 3 years, and it does a very nice job.  However, it is
> a constant battle as those printer cartridges don't seem to
> last all that long.  I try to keep things like my K3 manual,
> and accessories, updated in a notebook, along with all the
> firmware updates, etc.  Often something you print off has
> some color in it, and the color cartridges seem to go really
> fast!  Replacements are very expensive for just about all
> makes and models, even at my favorite supplier--Costco!  I
> think printers have become like safety razors--cheap to buy
> on the front end, but very expensive to keep properly
> supplied.
>
> As I indicated above, a lot of what comes off the internet
> has color in it, but printing it in black and white would
> not be a very significant loss in most cases.  I know you
> can set your printer to do just black and white--at least
> most of them--but that does tend to be something of a pain
> in the neck when you are just trying to quickly print off a
> couple of pages, etc.  You can also set the resolution
> lower, to save ink, but how many of us take the time to do
> it?  Then there is the constant (or seemingly so) prompting
> you get that one cartridge or another is running low.  Some
> printers has 4 or 5 different color cartridges, and they
> never really seem to deplete at the same rate.
>
> A while back I started investigating laser printers, and
> found that one model (wireless) by Brother was very highly
> rated.  This is the model HL-5370DW.  Consumer Reports gave
> it a very favorable review, as did a couple of computer
> magazines.  It's black and white only, but I don't think I
> care about color, and I can always use my HP for that.  Best
> of all, the cost per copy was estimated at just over one
> cent per copy, versus 5 or 6 cents per copy on most ink jet
> models.  On my HP, I pay about $90 for a combo cartridge
> package that will maybe get me between 500 and 1000
> copies--if I'm lucky!  That may seem like a lot of copies,
> but if you have kids, it isn't!!!!!  Besides, I think those
> "estimates" are very optimistic.  A high capacity cartridge
> for the Brother laser model, costs about $80 (on Amazon),
> and will supposedly deliver 8,000 copies!  I take that
> estimate with a grain of salt as well, but clearly that is
> miles cheaper than for an inkjet printer.  There are
> "aftermarket" suppliers that are even a lot cheaper, but I
> don't know whether those are of sufficient quality or not.
> Eventually you have to replace the drum on a laser printer,
> but those are supposedly good for at least 25,000 copies, so
> I don't expect to have to worry about that for a long time.
>
> Anyway, I looked into prices for the HL-5370DW, and the best
> price I could find for it was about $220 (it "lists" for
> about $250).  Not bad, but I deferred.  This past weekend,
> Office Depot advertised it for $180!  I couldn't find an
> internet price anywhere close to that.  Since the printer is
> wireless capable, I decided it would be a good bet at that
> price, so I picked one up.  I like it!  The setup process to
> get it "hooked" into my WiFi system was somewhat more
> convaluted than with my HP, but it now works fine, and I
> have everyone's computer directed to it.  I may be kidding
> myself, but I think I'm saving money already!
>
> Another big benefit was speed.  My HP is supposedly pretty
> high end, but still it seems to go at a snail's pace--even
> on much of the straight black and white stuff.  I just
> printed out Jim Brown's (K9YC) treatise on RFI (61 pages) in
> less than 2 minutes!  If I had done that on my HP I would
> still be waiting.  Also, I did it "duplex", so only 31
> pieces of paper, and it will go nicely into a soft binder
> for future reference.  Unfortunately, this is a topic I need
> to refer to frequently here because of an issue that has
> arisen, and going back and forth to my computer was getting
> to be a pain.  I also like to print off pertinent topics in
> the new ARRL Handbook instead of lugging that 5 pound
> monster around all the time.  Also, there is so much great
> info on the internet, and sometimes you really need "hard
> copy" to comfortably read it.
>
> Anyway, FWIW, I think this is a much better way to go if you
> do much printing at all.  You can always supplement with a
> much cheaper inkjet printer for those times when you have to
> have color, and even the cheaper inkjets these days are
> pretty darn good on color.  Many of the cheaper ones also
> function as copiers, scanners, and fax machines too--they
> are just SLOW!  I just think that perhaps as much as 95% of
> most printing needs don't really need color, and I firmly
> believe HP and Canon and other manufacturers have been
> milking us dry selling us color capable printers.  It might
> take me a year or two to recoup my investment, but in the
> meantime I can at least enjoy the incredibly faster speed
> from the laser printer.
>
> Hopefully, some of you will think this post has been
> worthwhile.
>
> Dave W7AQK
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Hank Garretson]

On Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 8:19 AM, Bob Maser, W7AQK, <[hidden email]> wrote:

> When you print, when the print screen comes up and before you hit the OK to
> Print key, click preferences, set the quality level to "Fast Draft" and then
> go to the Color tab and click on grayscale.  Your printer will print faster
> and use much less ink.  Try it.

Even better.  Under Control Panel, go to Printers and select your
printer.  Under preferences, select "Fast Draft" and "Grayscale."
This will now be the default for your printer and you won't have to
select it every time you print.  If you want high quality and/or color
for something, you can select it as W7AQK suggests for the individual
job, but your default will stay the same.

73,

Hank, W6SX

Mammoth Lakes, California

Elevation 8083 feet in John Muir's Range of Light
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Rick Hiller]

Suggestion:  What about printing to a PDF file for most of the informational
downloads from the web.  Agreed, there are times when you must have a hard
copy, but most times a PDF will do quite nicely and you can set up your file
storage a management system to reflect different categories, topics, etc.
Heck, most down loads are PDF to begin with, so just a right mouse click
"Save Target As" works well.

 

Find a FREE...read it again....FREE, PDF Printer driver.....Google "Primo
PDF".  This PDF tool is meant to be free and does a great job getting PDF
out of ANY Windows based application.  I have been using it for years in my
business and "printing" is my business.

 

72...Rick - W5RH

 

W5RH   -- Harris County -- Texas

 

Antennas....How can a simple piece of wire cause so much

confusion, dilemma, quandary, and question, and yet,

create so much pleasure ?  

                   copyright W5RH 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008,
2009

 

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Dick Williams-2]

Most of the manufactures make their money off of the ink cartridges, not the
printer.  That said, there are a number of very inexpensive printers out
there;  using different cartridges running  the gamete in price.

Was checking out printers (for ARES use) a couple of weeks ago and the
salesman and I were talking about the price of ink; he told me some people
just buy a new printer, and it is only a couple of bucks more than replacing
the ink in their old one!  In fact, they had a older model HP marked down on
the clearance rack to $45.  I was going to buy it, but was smart enough to
talk them into checking it out.  Plugged it in and the first message was
something to the effect of "replace the color cartridge".  No problem, the
store had them in stock; price was just under $39.  Guess what, they would
not give me one, would have to buy it.  I was born at night, but not the
night before; so I said no thanks.

Before buying a printer, check out the price of the ink before buying the
printer, and look at printers that use different cartridges for the colors.
One of the worst "rib offs" is the tri color cartridge; you run out of one
color and you have to replace the cartridge.

I have two printers here (a wireless HP L7780 and a Canon IP6600).  The HP
has the two cartridge arrangement (black and a tri color); so that one is
used pretty much only for black and white printing by my wife from her
computer in the kitchen.  In the shack I have the Canon, and I use it for
both black and white, and color.  It uses six different cartridges, and they
are reasonable priced.

One other nice option is two sided printing;  both my HP and Canon do that
(which probably makes Al Gore and all his "environmental wackos" happy).  In
my case, I find it saves a lot of money in paper costs.

One final note; I think I have seen Wal Mart advertising a new Kodak printer
that is not suppose to "break the bank" when buying ink.  Might be worth
checking out; especially as a second printer to use for the everyday black
and white printing.

Dick  K8ZTT




-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Bob Maser
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 9:20 AM
To: David Yarnes; [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT--A Suggestion About Printers

When you print, when the print screen comes up and before you hit the OK to
Print key, click preferences, set the quality level to "Fast Draft" and then

go to the Color tab and click on grayscale.  Your printer will print faster
and use much less ink.  Try it.

Bob W6TR
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Yarnes" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 8:34 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] OT--A Suggestion About Printers

> Hi All,
>
> I don't know how many of you share my frustration about
> printing needs, but I find it to be a fairly expensive
> process.  I've been using an HP printer that is wireless for
> about 3 years, and it does a very nice job.  However, it is
> a constant battle as those printer cartridges don't seem to
> last all that long.  I try to keep things like my K3 manual,
> and accessories, updated in a notebook, along with all the
> firmware updates, etc.  Often something you print off has
> some color in it, and the color cartridges seem to go really
> fast!  Replacements are very expensive for just about all
> makes and models, even at my favorite supplier--Costco!  I
> think printers have become like safety razors--cheap to buy
> on the front end, but very expensive to keep properly
> supplied.
>
> As I indicated above, a lot of what comes off the internet
> has color in it, but printing it in black and white would
> not be a very significant loss in most cases.  I know you
> can set your printer to do just black and white--at least
> most of them--but that does tend to be something of a pain
> in the neck when you are just trying to quickly print off a
> couple of pages, etc.  You can also set the resolution
> lower, to save ink, but how many of us take the time to do
> it?  Then there is the constant (or seemingly so) prompting
> you get that one cartridge or another is running low.  Some
> printers has 4 or 5 different color cartridges, and they
> never really seem to deplete at the same rate.
>
> A while back I started investigating laser printers, and
> found that one model (wireless) by Brother was very highly
> rated.  This is the model HL-5370DW.  Consumer Reports gave
> it a very favorable review, as did a couple of computer
> magazines.  It's black and white only, but I don't think I
> care about color, and I can always use my HP for that.  Best
> of all, the cost per copy was estimated at just over one
> cent per copy, versus 5 or 6 cents per copy on most ink jet
> models.  On my HP, I pay about $90 for a combo cartridge
> package that will maybe get me between 500 and 1000
> copies--if I'm lucky!  That may seem like a lot of copies,
> but if you have kids, it isn't!!!!!  Besides, I think those
> "estimates" are very optimistic.  A high capacity cartridge
> for the Brother laser model, costs about $80 (on Amazon),
> and will supposedly deliver 8,000 copies!  I take that
> estimate with a grain of salt as well, but clearly that is
> miles cheaper than for an inkjet printer.  There are
> "aftermarket" suppliers that are even a lot cheaper, but I
> don't know whether those are of sufficient quality or not.
> Eventually you have to replace the drum on a laser printer,
> but those are supposedly good for at least 25,000 copies, so
> I don't expect to have to worry about that for a long time.
>
> Anyway, I looked into prices for the HL-5370DW, and the best
> price I could find for it was about $220 (it "lists" for
> about $250).  Not bad, but I deferred.  This past weekend,
> Office Depot advertised it for $180!  I couldn't find an
> internet price anywhere close to that.  Since the printer is
> wireless capable, I decided it would be a good bet at that
> price, so I picked one up.  I like it!  The setup process to
> get it "hooked" into my WiFi system was somewhat more
> convaluted than with my HP, but it now works fine, and I
> have everyone's computer directed to it.  I may be kidding
> myself, but I think I'm saving money already!
>
> Another big benefit was speed.  My HP is supposedly pretty
> high end, but still it seems to go at a snail's pace--even
> on much of the straight black and white stuff.  I just
> printed out Jim Brown's (K9YC) treatise on RFI (61 pages) in
> less than 2 minutes!  If I had done that on my HP I would
> still be waiting.  Also, I did it "duplex", so only 31
> pieces of paper, and it will go nicely into a soft binder
> for future reference.  Unfortunately, this is a topic I need
> to refer to frequently here because of an issue that has
> arisen, and going back and forth to my computer was getting
> to be a pain.  I also like to print off pertinent topics in
> the new ARRL Handbook instead of lugging that 5 pound
> monster around all the time.  Also, there is so much great
> info on the internet, and sometimes you really need "hard
> copy" to comfortably read it.
>
> Anyway, FWIW, I think this is a much better way to go if you
> do much printing at all.  You can always supplement with a
> much cheaper inkjet printer for those times when you have to
> have color, and even the cheaper inkjets these days are
> pretty darn good on color.  Many of the cheaper ones also
> function as copiers, scanners, and fax machines too--they
> are just SLOW!  I just think that perhaps as much as 95% of
> most printing needs don't really need color, and I firmly
> believe HP and Canon and other manufacturers have been
> milking us dry selling us color capable printers.  It might
> take me a year or two to recoup my investment, but in the
> meantime I can at least enjoy the incredibly faster speed
> from the laser printer.
>
> Hopefully, some of you will think this post has been
> worthwhile.
>
> Dave W7AQK
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database 4667 (20091207) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com


 

__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database 4667 (20091207) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com
 

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Alan Bloom]

Since this is off-topic I'll try to keep it short.

On Mon, 2009-12-07 at 08:34 -0700, David Yarnes wrote:
> I
> think printers have become like safety razors--cheap to buy
> on the front end, but very expensive to keep properly
> supplied.

That's been exactly the business model of printer manufacturers for a
long time.  People think of HP as a computer company, but I have heard
that based on dollars of profit it is actually a printer cartridge
company.

> A while back I started investigating laser printers, and
> found that one model (wireless) by Brother was very highly
> rated.  This is the model HL-5370DW.  

I bought a Brother model HL-2170W laser printer a while back and have
been very pleased with it so far.

One tip for saving on toner:  HP is especially notorious for this but I
think they all do it.  The low-toner detector goes off long before the
toner is completely used up.  They force you to buy a new cartridge when
there is still quite a bit of life left in it.  The solution is to put a
piece of (non-transparent) tape over the toner sensor window when you
install the cartridge.  If you forget, then when the sensor trips you
have to find the secret lever to reset the cartridge so you can cover up
the window and continue to use it.  Info on modifying Brother cartridges
is here:  http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/laser/39806

Also, when you start to notice faint areas on your copies you can
redistribute the toner by removing the cartridge and shaking it.  That
along will get you a couple hundred more copies.

Alan N1AL


______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Doug Person]

Its worth noting that a huge secondary market for ink cartridges has
developed over the years.  I but my cartridges off eBay for about $8 a
pop.  Some people (especially the printer manufacturers) claim these are
inferior and may damage your printer.  This is the casting of F.U.D.
(Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt).  I've used re manufactured ink cartridges
for years with no problems.  There are even chains showing up in strip
malls that accept your old cartridges and sell refilled ones for at
least half of new ones.  Cartridge World is local franchise.

Doug -- K0DXV

Dick Williams wrote:

> Most of the manufactures make their money off of the ink cartridges, not the
> printer.  That said, there are a number of very inexpensive printers out
> there;  using different cartridges running  the gamete in price.
>
> Was checking out printers (for ARES use) a couple of weeks ago and the
> salesman and I were talking about the price of ink; he told me some people
> just buy a new printer, and it is only a couple of bucks more than replacing
> the ink in their old one!  In fact, they had a older model HP marked down on
> the clearance rack to $45.  I was going to buy it, but was smart enough to
> talk them into checking it out.  Plugged it in and the first message was
> something to the effect of "replace the color cartridge".  No problem, the
> store had them in stock; price was just under $39.  Guess what, they would
> not give me one, would have to buy it.  I was born at night, but not the
> night before; so I said no thanks.
>
> Before buying a printer, check out the price of the ink before buying the
> printer, and look at printers that use different cartridges for the colors.
> One of the worst "rib offs" is the tri color cartridge; you run out of one
> color and you have to replace the cartridge.
>
> I have two printers here (a wireless HP L7780 and a Canon IP6600).  The HP
> has the two cartridge arrangement (black and a tri color); so that one is
> used pretty much only for black and white printing by my wife from her
> computer in the kitchen.  In the shack I have the Canon, and I use it for
> both black and white, and color.  It uses six different cartridges, and they
> are reasonable priced.
>
> One other nice option is two sided printing;  both my HP and Canon do that
> (which probably makes Al Gore and all his "environmental wackos" happy).  In
> my case, I find it saves a lot of money in paper costs.
>
> One final note; I think I have seen Wal Mart advertising a new Kodak printer
> that is not suppose to "break the bank" when buying ink.  Might be worth
> checking out; especially as a second printer to use for the everyday black
> and white printing.
>
> Dick  K8ZTT
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Bob Maser
> Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 9:20 AM
> To: David Yarnes; [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT--A Suggestion About Printers
>
> When you print, when the print screen comes up and before you hit the OK to
> Print key, click preferences, set the quality level to "Fast Draft" and then
>
> go to the Color tab and click on grayscale.  Your printer will print faster
> and use much less ink.  Try it.
>
> Bob W6TR
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Yarnes" <[hidden email]>
> To: <[hidden email]>
> Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 8:34 AM
> Subject: [Elecraft] OT--A Suggestion About Printers
>
>
>  
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I don't know how many of you share my frustration about
>> printing needs, but I find it to be a fairly expensive
>> process.  I've been using an HP printer that is wireless for
>> about 3 years, and it does a very nice job.  However, it is
>> a constant battle as those printer cartridges don't seem to
>> last all that long.  I try to keep things like my K3 manual,
>> and accessories, updated in a notebook, along with all the
>> firmware updates, etc.  Often something you print off has
>> some color in it, and the color cartridges seem to go really
>> fast!  Replacements are very expensive for just about all
>> makes and models, even at my favorite supplier--Costco!  I
>> think printers have become like safety razors--cheap to buy
>> on the front end, but very expensive to keep properly
>> supplied.
>>
>> As I indicated above, a lot of what comes off the internet
>> has color in it, but printing it in black and white would
>> not be a very significant loss in most cases.  I know you
>> can set your printer to do just black and white--at least
>> most of them--but that does tend to be something of a pain
>> in the neck when you are just trying to quickly print off a
>> couple of pages, etc.  You can also set the resolution
>> lower, to save ink, but how many of us take the time to do
>> it?  Then there is the constant (or seemingly so) prompting
>> you get that one cartridge or another is running low.  Some
>> printers has 4 or 5 different color cartridges, and they
>> never really seem to deplete at the same rate.
>>
>> A while back I started investigating laser printers, and
>> found that one model (wireless) by Brother was very highly
>> rated.  This is the model HL-5370DW.  Consumer Reports gave
>> it a very favorable review, as did a couple of computer
>> magazines.  It's black and white only, but I don't think I
>> care about color, and I can always use my HP for that.  Best
>> of all, the cost per copy was estimated at just over one
>> cent per copy, versus 5 or 6 cents per copy on most ink jet
>> models.  On my HP, I pay about $90 for a combo cartridge
>> package that will maybe get me between 500 and 1000
>> copies--if I'm lucky!  That may seem like a lot of copies,
>> but if you have kids, it isn't!!!!!  Besides, I think those
>> "estimates" are very optimistic.  A high capacity cartridge
>> for the Brother laser model, costs about $80 (on Amazon),
>> and will supposedly deliver 8,000 copies!  I take that
>> estimate with a grain of salt as well, but clearly that is
>> miles cheaper than for an inkjet printer.  There are
>> "aftermarket" suppliers that are even a lot cheaper, but I
>> don't know whether those are of sufficient quality or not.
>> Eventually you have to replace the drum on a laser printer,
>> but those are supposedly good for at least 25,000 copies, so
>> I don't expect to have to worry about that for a long time.
>>
>> Anyway, I looked into prices for the HL-5370DW, and the best
>> price I could find for it was about $220 (it "lists" for
>> about $250).  Not bad, but I deferred.  This past weekend,
>> Office Depot advertised it for $180!  I couldn't find an
>> internet price anywhere close to that.  Since the printer is
>> wireless capable, I decided it would be a good bet at that
>> price, so I picked one up.  I like it!  The setup process to
>> get it "hooked" into my WiFi system was somewhat more
>> convaluted than with my HP, but it now works fine, and I
>> have everyone's computer directed to it.  I may be kidding
>> myself, but I think I'm saving money already!
>>
>> Another big benefit was speed.  My HP is supposedly pretty
>> high end, but still it seems to go at a snail's pace--even
>> on much of the straight black and white stuff.  I just
>> printed out Jim Brown's (K9YC) treatise on RFI (61 pages) in
>> less than 2 minutes!  If I had done that on my HP I would
>> still be waiting.  Also, I did it "duplex", so only 31
>> pieces of paper, and it will go nicely into a soft binder
>> for future reference.  Unfortunately, this is a topic I need
>> to refer to frequently here because of an issue that has
>> arisen, and going back and forth to my computer was getting
>> to be a pain.  I also like to print off pertinent topics in
>> the new ARRL Handbook instead of lugging that 5 pound
>> monster around all the time.  Also, there is so much great
>> info on the internet, and sometimes you really need "hard
>> copy" to comfortably read it.
>>
>> Anyway, FWIW, I think this is a much better way to go if you
>> do much printing at all.  You can always supplement with a
>> much cheaper inkjet printer for those times when you have to
>> have color, and even the cheaper inkjets these days are
>> pretty darn good on color.  Many of the cheaper ones also
>> function as copiers, scanners, and fax machines too--they
>> are just SLOW!  I just think that perhaps as much as 95% of
>> most printing needs don't really need color, and I firmly
>> believe HP and Canon and other manufacturers have been
>> milking us dry selling us color capable printers.  It might
>> take me a year or two to recoup my investment, but in the
>> meantime I can at least enjoy the incredibly faster speed
>> from the laser printer.
>>
>> Hopefully, some of you will think this post has been
>> worthwhile.
>>
>> Dave W7AQK
>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>
>>    
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
> database 4667 (20091207) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
>
>  
>
> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
> database 4667 (20091207) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>  
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>  

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[AC7AC]

CONTENTS DELETED

The author has deleted this message.

[Bill Hammond]

Most of us get a little hot under the collar when you we learn the truth about inkjet printers.  The time I researched it, inkjet ink costs about $3000-$5000 a gallon at the retail prices.  
 
The printer manufacturers have used the "Gillette" model for several years now.  
Not only do they charge outrageous ink prices, they also make sure they get their money by embedding page counters in their printers or ink cartridges.  Usually this takes the form of an embedded chip.
You may have 30% more ink when you get the out of ink warning.  Inkjets are the most expensive type of printing you can do.  The “Gillette model” assures them a steady revenue stream for as long as you own the printer.    

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html